Arkansas Blog

The silence of McDaniel

THE CAT WITH THE HAT: McDaniel showed off State Police cap in $6,000 video.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has at least three people on staff charged with handling press inquiries and developing media strategy and otherwise burnishing his image. He's not exactly shy about seeking the limelight himself.

But ... despite a couple of inquiries ... nothing but silence from the AG's publicity juggernaut over questions related to McDaniel's announcement that he plans to send $700,000 from a drug lawsuit settlement to the private State Police Foundation to build a classroom building at the Wrightsville shooting range. This is the famous big-spender's gift announced by a $6,000 video McDaniel cooked up to upstage Gov. Mike Beebe's speech at a recent State Police awards luncheon.

Problem: The lawsuit settlement sets out rules for spending the money (presumably written by McDaniel's office) that appear to leave no leeway to send the money to the State Police. I've asked for an explanation. I'm still waiting. He hasn't actually received the money yet from the court settlement and so he hasn't yet run afoul of the court order if there are problems. He's only announced intentions. You know what they say about good intentions.

I don't know if McDaniel is back yet from the Hawaiian business junket that prevented his personal attendance at the State Police soiree. Arkansas Blog operators are standing by.